Opinion India@75 Looking at 100: The country of my dreams prioritises menstrual health

At 100, India will act responsibly and its men will be empathetic. Menstruators would be given paid leave each month during their periods and no employer would deem it to be a subject that they should not concern themselves with

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Farheen Naaz writes: Both urban and rural India would be able to afford and use menstrual hygiene products as per their own choice. Representational/File)

Farheen Naaz

New DelhiMay 17, 2023 09:40 AM IST First published on: May 17, 2023 at 07:20 AM IST

Bringing together a group of superheroes or putting together the scattered parts of a destroyed whole to create something unprecedented and unimaginably powerful — this is a trope found in many fantasy movies. I’ve seen similar things in my life as a menstrual educator too. Except that in my story, the superheroes are ordinary people with knowledge that they are keen on sharing and the “something” that they want to make unimaginably powerful is our country, India.

My India at 100 is a dream-in-progress. It’s taking shape in millions of hearts, including the one beating in the remotest of villages in the country. I imagine that heart to be young and naive, but nonetheless eager to learn about the changes that take place in our bodies, especially the menstrual cycle. What comes to the mind of that little menstruator on first experiencing periods? I often find myself thinking about these things — about how far we’ve come and how much further we have to go until we reach that village. The answer that comes from deep within says, not more than two decades.

I take comfort in this. Today, with the help of multiple initiatives and a remarkable union of knowledge, education and technology, menstrual educators like myself have been able to bring about unprecedented changes in society. My team and I have been focusing on sensitising people by informing and discussing with them the absolute importance of period hygiene and how it affects us as a society. So far, we have been able to reach more than 18,000 people across 15 states and Union Territories. Along with this, we have supplied over 10,000 period kits.

And we aren’t stopping here. Because our fight is against the illiteracy that has seeped deep into our society over the centuries. From labelling menstruation impure to confining those who menstruate to cattle sheds for up to a week to forcing them out of school, taboos and superstitions about this normal biological function encourage biases resulting in negligence. It has come to the point where we hear news of a brother killing his sister in the name of honour, all because he saw blood on her sheets and concluded that the stain meant she had a physical relationship with someone. Take a moment and think about it. A married man mistook his sister’s period blood for something else. He didn’t think his sister might be menstruating. It was an alien thought for him.

Illiteracy is infectious. It affects everyone, regardless of their gender. So our prime focus is on countering age-old narratives while demystifying the topic of menstruation. All our dreams and goals cannot be achieved in a day. Normalising what was once considered evil will take time.

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With consistent efforts, my India at 100 will fight the “pink tax” and erase gender-based price disparities. The country and its people will be the foremost advocates of menstrual hygiene and environmental issues. They will carefully plan menstrual waste management. They will have smart solutions and technology for disabled menstruators. India at 100 will make the health of menstruators one of its priorities — it will have a negligible rate of death caused by cervical cancer. It will have a curriculum that will teach menstruators about how they could maintain hygiene and take care of themselves.

Both urban and rural India would be able to afford and use menstrual hygiene products as per their own choice. India at 100 will move differently; that is, beyond plastic and stereotypes. It will embrace sustainability and promote sustainable hygiene products. It will act responsibly and its men will be empathetic. Menstruators would be given paid leave each month during their periods and no employer would deem it to be a subject that they should not concern themselves with.

Time plays a huge role, especially in such a case. The current scenario offers hope that I am holding onto tightly — the events, the awareness drives, varied sustainable options, the campaigns, all of these will surely lead to an India that is better and wiser.

The writer is a menstrual educator and is the co-founder and CEO of WeTheChange. This article is part of an ongoing series, which began on August 15, by women who have made a mark, across sectors